Rancho Laguna de la Merced
Encyclopedia
Rancho Laguna de la Merced (also known as the Galindo ranch) was a 2219 acres (9 km²) Mexican land grant
, in present day San Francisco County and San Mateo County, California
, given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to José Antonio Galindo. The grant encompassed the area around Lake Merced
and the present day Daly City
neighborhoods of Westlake
, and Serramonte.
grant, in Alta California
. His widowed mother, Ramona Sanchez de Galindo, was the grantee of Rancho Butano
in 1838.
José Antonio Galindo did little to develop Rancho Laguna de la Merced and sold it in 1837 to Francisco de Haro
(1792 – 1849). In a strange turn of events, in 1838, Alcalde
De Haro arrested José Antonio Galindo for the murder of José Doroteo Peralta (1810 - 1838), son of Pedro Peralta. De Haro's wife, Emiliana Sanchez, died in 1842, and De Haro died in 1849.
With the cession
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Laguna de la Merced was filed with the Public Land Commission
in 1852, and the grant was patented
in 1872 to the surviving De Haro children - Josefa de Haro Guerrero Denniston, Rosalia de Haro Andrews Brown, Natividad de Haro Castro Tissot, and Carlotta de Haro Denniston.
The De Haro's tried to claim land in the between Lake Merced and San Bruno Mountain
. An 1853 US government survey declared that the contested area was in fact government property, and could be acquired by private citizens. There was a brief land rush as squatters arrived in anticipation of Congress passing the Homestead Act that would have given legal title to 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) to anyone already present on the land. The George Greene family arrived came to California in 1848, and squatted on part of Rancho Laguna de la Merced.
David Mahoney bought Rancho Laguna de La Merced and had another survey made. Mahoney sought to extend his property north to more desirable property and his survey included the Greenes’ homestead. Major litigation followed. George Greene won in the US District Court, and Mahoney appealed to US Supreme Court. The Greenes lost their case. The Greenes refused to leave, and built a metal-lined fort to keep out the authorities. The Greenes remained holding the fort for three months until a special Act of Congress was passed in 1887 granting them the land.
Robert S. Thornton established a claim south of Lake Merced. He was the representative of thirty property holders ("North San Mateo Settlers' Union") in the present day Colma area
whose titles were in peril. In 1865 they won their case in the US Supreme Court.
The Spring Valley Water Company bought the water rights for Lake Merced in 1868, and in 1877 started buying the surrounding watershed. The company began to sell off its landholdings around Lake Merced beginning in the 1890s.
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
, in present day San Francisco County and San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...
, given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to José Antonio Galindo. The grant encompassed the area around Lake Merced
Lake Merced
Lake Merced is a freshwater lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco. It is surrounded by three golf courses , as well as residential areas, Lowell High School, San Francisco State University, Fort Funston and the Pacific Ocean...
and the present day Daly City
Daly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...
neighborhoods of Westlake
Westlake, Daly City, California
The Westlake District of Daly City, California, is one of the first post-World War II suburbs in the United States. Located just south of San Francisco, Westlake has frequently been compared to Levittown, New York, the first major large-scale postwar middle-class housing development in the...
, and Serramonte.
History
José Galindo was a corporal in the San Francisco militia. His grandfather, Nicolás Galindo, had accompanied the De Anza Expedition as a settler in 1776. In 1835, José Antonio Galindo was granted he one half square league Rancho Laguna de la Merced around Lake Merced, and also received the Rancho SaucelitoRancho Saucelito
Rancho Saucelito was a Mexican land grant in present day Marin County, California given in 1838 by Governor Juan Alvarado to William A. Richardson. The name means "ranch of the little willow grove"...
grant, in Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
. His widowed mother, Ramona Sanchez de Galindo, was the grantee of Rancho Butano
Rancho Butano
Rancho Butano was a Mexican land grant in present day San Mateo County, California given in 1838 by Governor Juan Alvarado and confirmed in 1844 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Ramona Sanchez. At the time, the grant was in Santa Cruz County; an 1868 boundary adjustment gave the land to San...
in 1838.
José Antonio Galindo did little to develop Rancho Laguna de la Merced and sold it in 1837 to Francisco de Haro
Francisco de Haro
Francisco de Haro was the first Alcalde of Yerba Buena in 1834.-Life:De Haro was born in Compostela, Nayarit, Mexico and came to San Francisco in 1819. He was the first Alcalde of Yerba Buena in 1834. He was instrumental in planning the street grid of the town along with Englishman William A....
(1792 – 1849). In a strange turn of events, in 1838, Alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
De Haro arrested José Antonio Galindo for the murder of José Doroteo Peralta (1810 - 1838), son of Pedro Peralta. De Haro's wife, Emiliana Sanchez, died in 1842, and De Haro died in 1849.
With the cession
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...
of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Laguna de la Merced was filed with the Public Land Commission
Public Land Commission
The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...
in 1852, and the grant was patented
Land patent
A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
in 1872 to the surviving De Haro children - Josefa de Haro Guerrero Denniston, Rosalia de Haro Andrews Brown, Natividad de Haro Castro Tissot, and Carlotta de Haro Denniston.
The De Haro's tried to claim land in the between Lake Merced and San Bruno Mountain
San Bruno Mountain
San Bruno Mountain in northern San Mateo County, California is the northernmost part of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of the mountain lies within the San Bruno Mountain State Park, a unique open-space island in the midst of the San Francisco Peninsula's urbanization. Next to the state park is the...
. An 1853 US government survey declared that the contested area was in fact government property, and could be acquired by private citizens. There was a brief land rush as squatters arrived in anticipation of Congress passing the Homestead Act that would have given legal title to 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) to anyone already present on the land. The George Greene family arrived came to California in 1848, and squatted on part of Rancho Laguna de la Merced.
David Mahoney bought Rancho Laguna de La Merced and had another survey made. Mahoney sought to extend his property north to more desirable property and his survey included the Greenes’ homestead. Major litigation followed. George Greene won in the US District Court, and Mahoney appealed to US Supreme Court. The Greenes lost their case. The Greenes refused to leave, and built a metal-lined fort to keep out the authorities. The Greenes remained holding the fort for three months until a special Act of Congress was passed in 1887 granting them the land.
Robert S. Thornton established a claim south of Lake Merced. He was the representative of thirty property holders ("North San Mateo Settlers' Union") in the present day Colma area
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
whose titles were in peril. In 1865 they won their case in the US Supreme Court.
The Spring Valley Water Company bought the water rights for Lake Merced in 1868, and in 1877 started buying the surrounding watershed. The company began to sell off its landholdings around Lake Merced beginning in the 1890s.